Extracting value from NPI data

by Simon Welchman

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes

So first we need good data…

The three levels of government in Australia can pull industry in different directions with sometimes duplicated, overlapping and inconsistent environmental reporting requirements. On the upside, reporting obligations such as the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) impose a discipline to collate data on a regular and sustained basis. If that task is done systematically and accurately, over time you can produce a dataset that can add considerable value to your operations. Even data from a single year can make a difference.

The NPI requires Australian industries to report their annual emissions to air, water and land. The NPI requires data to be gathered on an industry’s use of energy and substances. This data is directly related to both the financial and environmental aspects of the business. In a holistic analysis this data can be used to drive financial and environmental improvements.

Katestone has assisted its clients to use NPI data in a number of ways that have helped improve their operations:

Benchmark energy use and environmental emissions

Optimise environmental control and improvement strategies

Inform decisions about future planning and development

Improve the efficiency of operations

Determine the success of upgrades

Public communications showing improvements over time

You can find some examples of how we have helped our clients use the NPI data to create value for their business and save money here.

Katestone’s NPI team can assist you in all areas of data collection, emissions estimation and analysis. Katestone’s NPI deliverables include high quality, rigorous, well presented and easy to access reports that can be made available to all levels of management.

“The NPI report is a comprehensive document that supports consistency year on year. Data is presented in clear and concise tables and graphs that show site contributions and inter-annual variability. Powerful insights can be gleaned from these reports allowing management to make informed decisions that improve environmental performance and the bottom line.” Says Mick Fogarty, Senior Air Quality Consultant

Contact us today to get the most out of your NPI data. If you are unsure if you need to report we have a developed a questionnaire to help.